Caithlin Mercer on our Journalist Fellowship in 2024-25

From our Annual Report 2024-25

This year’s Fellowship wasn’t just a pause from the newsroom; it was a launchpad.

Across three terms, 24 fellows from 20 countries used their time in Oxford to test, refine, and share ideas that are already moving into newsrooms, policy forums, and public debate around the world.

Their projects explore how journalism can respond to today’s challenges – from how to cover populist rhetoric and climate catastrophes to loss of audiences and their trust – not just with critique, but with practical blueprints for change.

Alongside an intensive programme of seminars and guest experts, the cohorts travelled to London to visit the BBC, Context, the Thomson Reuters Foundation, and attend the Trust Conference. We also kept space for the Fellowship’s cultural traditions: the annual tour of the Pitt Rivers Museum, punting on the Cherwell, and the Uncomfortable Oxford walking tour.

In the background, the alumni network has been alive with continued impact: fellows have been presenting their findings from Oxford to Bonn, winning major investigative prizes, publishing books, taking on leadership roles, and seeing their fellowship research taken forward in newsrooms and policy conversations around the world. Next year’s fellowship has drawn the highest number of qualified applicants in the programme’s history – up 43% on last year – a clear signal of its growing relevance and resonance with journalists worldwide. 

Three event highlights

This year’s programme took fellows well beyond the Institute’s seminar room, into conversations with policymakers, industry leaders, and new audiences.

Just 48 hours after the 2024 US election, the Election Panel at the Rothermere American Institute brought Republican strategist Mike Murphy, ABC’s Jason Casellas, The New Yorker’s Clare Malone, and Winant Professor Kimberley Johnson together to unpack the results – and to ask what role journalism can play in a polarised political climate.

çIn collaboration with the Oxford Climate Journalism Network (OCJN), fellows met Dr Anthony Feinstein to explore his research on the mental health impact of climate reporting. The discussion moved off the record for a frank exchange with OCJN members about the pressures and protections needed for sustained coverage of the climate crisis.

At the Blavatnik School of Government, a new ‘Speed Salon’ format paired fellows with Master of Public Policy students for two rapid fire rounds of conversation: the first on Brazilian politics, and the second on revenue models, AI coverage, and the selection of expert voices. These fast-paced exchanges sparked follow-on collaborations that extended well beyond the room.

More on our Fellowship

• Everything you need to know about the programme
• How to apply
• Our Fellows' projects
• Our current Journalist Fellows